Shloka 14

पारिजातहरणम्, द्वारकाप्रवेशः, षोडशसहस्रविवाहः

Pārijāta, Return to Dvārakā, and the Lord’s Many Forms

Devanagari script

ततः काले शुभे प्राप्ते उपयेमे जनार्दनः ताः कन्या नरकेणासन् सर्वतो याः समाहृताः

Transliteration

tataḥ kāle śubhe prāpte upayeme janārdanaḥ tāḥ kanyā narakeṇāsan sarvato yāḥ samāhṛtāḥ

Translation

Then, when the auspicious time had arrived, Janārdana duly accepted in marriage those maidens whom Naraka had gathered from every quarter.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Discourse adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थे (then)

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Adhikarana (Time-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (काले)

• प्राप्ते: when (it) had arrived
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle) used locative absolute; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; (काले ... प्राप्ते) सति

• उपयेमे: married/took (as wives)
• उपयेमे: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-यम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; विवाहार्थक-प्रयोगः (took in marriage)

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ताः: those
• ताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• कन्याः: maidens
• कन्याः: Karma (Apposition to ताः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अपि प्रथमा-बहुवचनरूपं समानम् (syncretic form)

• नरकेण: by Naraka
• नरकेण: Karana/Agent (Doer in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• आसन्: were
• आसन्: Kriya (Copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• सर्वतः: from everywhere
• सर्वतः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक/पर्याय (from all sides/everywhere)

• याः: who/which
• याः: Karta (Subject of passive participle)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• समाहृताः: had been gathered
• समाहृताः: Kriya (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मणि (gathered/collected)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To restore the honor and social dharma of the abducted maidens by granting them lawful shelter and status through marriage.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Strī-dharma and social order: protection, legitimacy, and dignity for those wronged by adharma

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma is not merely punitive toward evil; it is restorative—re-establishing the harmed in dignity and rightful social protection.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Support restorative justice: prioritize protection, rehabilitation, and dignified reintegration of victims into safe community structures.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s grace works through social dharma and embodied relationships, affirming the world as a real arena for compassionate restoration.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana (Krishna/Vishnu)
• Naraka (Narakāsura)
• the maidens (kanyāḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna marrying the captive maidens in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the act as dharma-restoration: the Lord re-establishes the social and spiritual dignity of those wronged by Naraka, placing them under rightful protection rather than leaving them stigmatized.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine justice in this context?

Through narrative action: Parāśara depicts Janārdana acting at the “auspicious time,” indicating that divine intervention is ordered, purposeful, and aligned with cosmic law (dharma), not merely heroic force.

What is the theological importance of Janārdana here?

Janārdana appears as the sovereign protector whose will upholds dharma—showing Vishnu/Krishna as the supreme refuge who rectifies harm and reorients human life toward rightful order.